Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to preparation and use of water compatible and solvent dispersible reactive nanogels as additives to enhance polymer properties or as precursors to polymeric networks.
Description of the Related Art
There has been considerable recent interest in nanogels based on the diversity of compositions and synthetic routes that can be accommodated. (Dvorakova, 2010; Graham, 1998; Isaure, 2003; Rouzeau, 2007; Szaloki, 2008).
Prior work dedicated to nanogel additives applied to dental polymers has spanned from resins and composite materials (Moraes, 2011a) to adhesives and sealants. In much of the previous work, nanogel materials were developed with hydrophobic components, which meant the nanogels could be dispersed in suitable organic solvents or in relatively nonpolar resin systems, but not adequately in water, aqueous compositions or polar resin systems. Therefore, water dispersible nanogels are desirable.
In addition, since mechanical properties of polymers prepared with inert nanogel additives were found to be compromised, methods to regioselectively attach reactive groups to chain-ends or throughout the nanogel structures are desirable to improve upon the mechanical properties of polymers prepared from polar compositions.